Nook and cranny fitness

'Tis the season ... to be busy! Shopping, card-writing, wrapping, parties, decorating, trips to the post office: they all take time away from your regular healthy habits. Instead of beating yourself up for falling behind, consider switching tactics.

This is a great time of year for what I like to call "nook and cranny" fitness. Not only is nook and cranny fitness a great approach when you are too busy for official workouts, it is also a good way to keep your spirits up as you face the inevitable holiday stress.

There are many moments a day to combine a bit of training with your other tasks. It can actually be fun finding those moments and devising new training methods. You may find that you continue to do some even after you return to your regular routine.

Many of you spend time at a computer, whether at work or for fun. Consider converting your computer desk and chair into strength-training equipment. Each time you change tasks, going from reading e-mail to editing a document, for example, grasp the arms of your chairs and use your arm strength to lift your bottom off the seat of the chair five to ten times. Each time you come or go from your desk, place your palms on the edge, straighten your body out at an incline and do ten push-ups.

If you are going shopping, wear walking sneakers and begin your trip with a brisk 10-minute walk. Once you have packages to tote, you won't want to walk more than necessary! Not only will you get some extra calories burned, you can do some window shopping and perhaps cut down on the time spent browsing.

The stairs in your home can also be a wonderful tool to sneak in some fitness. Yes, you can run up and down them, but you can also use them to firm your lower body. Standing on the floor, place your whole foot on the second step (If your foot is too big, stand sideways and place your foot on the first step). Press through your heel and slowly push yourself up; try only tapping the other toe to the step for balance before you lower yourself back down.

Each time you are in your bedroom about to change your clothes, you can sneak in some core work. I'm not a fan of endless crunches since we don't often use our abdominals this way in real life. A great quickie move for the core muscles is the plank. Lie face down and prop yourself on your elbows. The elbows should be directly under your shoulders. Flex your toes to grip the floor and then tighten your midsection to lift your body into a hovering plank. Hold it for ten counts. Don't forget to breathe! If you find this too challenging, you can keep your knees on the floor.

Fitness will fit the nooks and crannies available to you and will make for a much merrier holiday season.

Power Plate , Ab Rocket , Leg Magic ,  Trampoline, perfect pushup , exercise bike , Air climber , the bean exerciser ,

 , Treadmill , Pilates Equipment  , Ladders , sitemap , More Products...